Exploding-heads.com is another instance on Lemmy where alt-right MAGA types tend to reside. Some people on this server want us to defederate from them immediately, some people want to save defederation as a last resort. They have 104 active users (more stats below).
It seems that exploding-heads has also experienced a recent botswarm invasion. This is obviously another point in favor of defederating them, assuming you are worried about botswarms, which is currently being discussed here.
My advice to you all is please try to discuss this in a civil manner, we need not allow them to create divisive conflict inside our communities. No matter how the vote turns out, you're not going to be able to defederate from your fellow sh.itheads so be nice.
I've linked many of the previous discussions below so people who are out of the loop can get a general sense of the situation.
https://sh.itjust.works/post/216888 https://sh.itjust.works/post/225714 https://sh.itjust.works/post/281126 https://sh.itjust.works/post/410325
Lemmy.world just recently defederated them.
https://lemmy.world/post/747912
https://lemmy.world/post/577526
Although this could be considered a point in favor of defederation, it actually means even if we vote to remain federated, people have a great alternative in lemmy.world where they can still participate in our communities and simultaneously be protected from exploding-heads.
Ensuring diversity of servers is beneficial to the platform as a whole, but it is also not our responsibility to bear that burden.
TLDR, just wrap up any last points in this thread before we open the vote tomorrow. Please be civil.
EDIT: To clarify, this isn't the official vote, this is the final discussion. The vote thread will be posted tomorrow and you will only be allowed to make a single comment saying Aye or Nay.
EDIT2: Vote thread is up, this thread is now locked. Very lively discussion thread sh.itheads. Please try to be more respectful next time.
Ahh crap. Well hopefully in the future, that option to block an instance will be an option for users. I like the idea of users having control over the content they see, rather than it being decided by others.
But, since this isn’t an option available to us now, maybe defederating (if that’s what the majority wants) is the most viable option.
I said “option” no fewer than 260 times. My bad lol
I gave you some extras above in case you ran out, no worries
I agree, but also I think defederation isn't the bogeyman it's being made out to be. Remember that when instances are federated, they download, store, and transmit information from each other. Sh.itjust.works is currently hosting alt-right stuff from e-h. There are plenty of things I don't like that I'd be fine just blocking myself, but I also have a line, which e-h crosses, where I am no longer willing to be an active member of a server that's okay with hosting and amplifying that signal. Even if I could block the instance from all my feeds, I'd leave sh.itjust.works for being a passive supporter of that stuff. I definitely wouldn't donate to help pay for server costs, or try to increase traffic by hosting a community on it.
There are, however, plenty of cases where I - as someone who comes here to relax - would prefer to block particular instances and to have better control over blocking specific users and communities, but would not be put out by the instance as a whole still being okay with that content. This isn't that. And as I've said elsewhere, if the community disagrees, that's fine. I'll go somewhere else, where the instance better reflects my values. I largely already have.
Option option option option <-- you may add this in there wherever you like, since you clearly love the word 😋
Lol I almost responded with, “I appreciate the options.”
Crazy day today, and my brain is burnt!
For the record, I enjoy conversations like this. Helps the community (so long as everyone stays civil) and, hopefully, will lead to us all having a place we can enjoy.
I chuckled good at that. And I too enjoy conversations like this, no worries. This thread has mostly been nice, intelligent discussion and I've liked it.
(bit concerned as it seems the trolls are now coming in, but I won't doomsay yet)